After months of hype and speculation, Spider-Man: No Way Home has finally debuted to rave reviews, especially looking at Tom Holland's performance as Peter Parker. Still, the MCU's web-slinger isn't the only star that has audiences buzzing due to the threequel's Multiversal cast and slate of past baddies like Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin, Alfred Molina's Doc Ock, and Jamie Foxx's Electro.
Although, when it comes to Foxx's Electro, the conversation surrounding his character has been slightly different and left fans with more questions than answers.
While the other past villains in Spider-Man: No Way Home looked as they did in their original films, Foxx's Electro did not. Instead of his combover, bad teeth, and translucent, glowing blue hue from 2014's The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Electro now radiates yellow electricity and boasts a new sense of style and confidence.
Even though the threequel made reference to these changes, the dialogue did little to fill in the gaps, leaving his glow-up up for interpretation; but now, Jamie Foxx is offering some answers and an explanation for Electro's new look.
Jamie Foxx Explains Electro's New No Way Home Style
In talking with Marvel, Jamie Foxx explained how Sony producer Amy Pascal's Spider-Man: No Way Home pitch appealed to him while also acknowledging that Electro "acquired some [abilities]" this time around.
When asked by Marvel about how he was approached for the Tom Holland-led MCU film, Foxx gave credit to Pascal saying:
"[Producer] Amy Pascal, who's been so supportive of my career, brought it up to me and I was like, ‘Man, oh yeah, I want to be in there.’ And the fact that I’m coming to this new universe and I look different, and the fact that they were able to craft something that was slick, simplified, but cool."
Considering the audience's lackluster reaction to the blue design Electro in 2014, it makes sense that a new design for the villain appealed to Foxx.
In fact, when asked about changing Electro from one film to another, Foxx mentioned that he brought in "the way I wanted to talk and how I wanted to present myself:"
"The [biggest] thing that changed is that he acknowledged the way he looked. He acknowledged, ‘Oh, I like this, I dig this.’ By doing that, it answers any questions like why or what's this thing? Being able to do that, and just bringing a little of the way I wanted to talk and how I wanted to present myself, [Electro] has a little hipness to him."
Upon Electro's arrival in Spider-Man: No Way Home, he does appear blue before drawing yellow electricity from power lines and, as the actor said, he comments on the different power this universe has to offer.
When questioned about the fact that Electro is no longer blue and the actor's own process, Foxx alluded to the villain having "acquired some [abilities]" and his ability "to project himself:"
"That was the whole team. A whole Spider-Man team on how to make this guy cool. How do we make him impactful, but make him a little more grounded? When he acquired some [abilities], it really made sense in the way he was able to project himself."
Like a Bolt Out of the Blue
Despite the praise Spider-Man: No Way Home has received, Electro has been the source of some fan frustration and is widely considered as one of the film's plotholes.
Since Foxx's Electro never knew that Spider-Man was Peter Parker, he shouldn't have been affected by Peter and Doctor Strange's botched spell; and this was made all the worse by the acknowledgment of his character's new design without the courtesy of an explanation.
However, with Foxx saying that Electro did comment on his look, as well as the character's ability to project himself, Electro's color change is now a little easier to swallow.
Since he seemingly became pure electricity in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, it's somewhat believable that his energy would change or transform upon entry into a new universe. Also, in the Andrew Garfield Spidey sequel, all Max wants is to be seen and respected. If he's able to "project" who he believes he is or who he wants to be, it would be someone cool and confident as opposed to his original appearance.
It's actually ironic that Foxx's 2020 social media post, where he shared an image of three Spider-Men while stating "he won't be blue in this one," kickstarted the No Way Home speculation; and now that the film has debuted, fans are still questioning why he isn't blue.
Still, the actor's answers go a long way in helping fans fill in the gaps of the film's story; and since the Spider-Man conversation isn't going anywhere soon, it's likely fans will hear more from Foxx on Electro in the near future.
Spider-Man: No Way Home debuted in theaters on December 17, 2021.
